Read: Galatians 5:16-26
Key Text: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:23)
Reflection: The power of the Holy Spirit brings resurrection life to the believer. In Galatians, Paul describes the manifestation of this life as ‘fruit of the Spirit.’ Jesus is the vine into which we are grafted by faith (John 15:1-17). The same power that gives life to the vine brings life to we who are the branches. And the role of a branch is to produce fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is the outward manifestation of an inner transformation wrought by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
One of the most controversial statements in the bible is James assertion that ‘faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.’ (James 2:17) For the reformers who rightly asserted that we are saved by faith alone, James’ teaching seems problematic in that it seems he is saying we are saved by faith and works. This is still a highly contentious issue in the Christian church (John Piper and NT Wright are two evangelical Christians who have fundamental differences of opinion on this and related issues).
Jesus says of false prophets, ‘By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.’ (Matthew 7:16-17) Jesus’ followers will be recognized by their fruit. We can say we follow Jesus, but unless the outward fruit of our lives supports this claim, our claim to faith is a lie or a tragic self-deception. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there will always be life that produces fruit. A Christian’s first task is to abide in the Vine (stay close to Jesus) and so draw on the power of his life-giving, fruit-producing Spirit.
Question: Which outworking of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) is most evident in your life? Which is least evident?
Read: John 15:1-17
Comments